Improvement in corn-planters



H. CASSIDY.

. Seed-Planter. I

I No.37,564. Patented Feb. 3, 1863,

Inventor Witnesses= AM. PHOTO-LITHO. CD- !LX (OSBURNE'S PROCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H. OASSIDY, OF PUTNAM, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,564, dated February 3, 1863 tication, in which Figure l is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the lineman, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, a detached vertical section of one of the seed-hoppers of the same, taken in the line y 3 Fig. 2; Fig. 4, an inverted plan of one of the seedhoppers.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A A represent the beams, the front ends of which are attached to the ends of cross-bars B, at the front end ofa beam, U, which is between the beams A A, the three beams A A B composing the frame of the machine.

D D are handles, which are attached to the back end of the central beam, 0, the draft being connected to the front end of said beam.

The frame is mounted on two wheels, E E, the axle F of which is fitted in suitable bearings attached to the under side of the beams A A, the axle turning with the wheels. To the front parts of the beams A A there are secured two furrow-shares, G G, the standards a a of which pass up through the beams and have screw-threads cut on them, on which twojainnuts, I), are fittedone above and the other be low the beams. The standards, when the nuts I) are loosened, are allowed to turn freely in the beams A A, and the shares G may therefore have their points adjusted more or less to the right or left, as occasion may require. Coverin g-sharesH are also attached to the back parts otthe beams A A in the same way that the furrow-shares G are attached to the front ends of their beams. 0 represents the standards ofsaid shares, and d d the jam-nuts.

To each beam A, and just back of the wheels E E, there are attached seed-hoppers l I, one to each beam. The upper parts, e, of these hoppers are offiaring form, and the lower parts,

f, are of pyramidal form and of much greater depth than the flaring parts a, as shown in Figs. 1and3. Thepartsfof the hoppers are divided into compartments or channels 9, which are formed by placing centrally in f a pyramidal block, h,with a square strip, 6, inserted in each corner, and in contact with the corners or anglesof the block it, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. By this means four compartments or seedchannels 9 are formed,with enlarged orflaring orifices to receive the seed, said channels diverging from their upper to their lower ends.

J J represent two slides, which are fitted and work horizontallyin the hoppersI between the parts e f. These slides J J extend forward some distance in front of the hoppers, and are attached to springs K K,whi'ch are secured to the beams A A. These springs have a tendency to keep the slides J J forced back in the hoppers, and form a division-plate or partition between the two parts cf.

To the inner side of each wheel E there is attached a projection, j, which, as the wheels rotate, strike the springs K,which stand inan oblique position. The slides J J are curved upward at their front ends, and are somewhat elastic. When the projectionsjj strike the inclined springs K K the latter, owing to their own elasticity and the elasticity of the slides J J, bend forward and draw the slidesJ J forward also, thus allowing the seed to fall from the upper part of the seed-box. As soon as the wheel has revolved far enough to carry the projectionsjj past the springs K K thelatter rise by their own elasticity and carry backward the slides J J into the seed-box, thus preventing any more seed from falling. The operation or movement of the slides is very quick. Each time the slides move forward a portion of corn drops down into the parts fof the hopper and through thepassages or channelsg, and is deposited in the hills in a scattered state, the diverging form of the parts fof the hoppers, in connection with the passages or channels g,effecting this result. The shares Grform 'the furrows which receive the seed, and the shares H cover the latter.

By removing the wheels E E the beams A A may be expanded and the device used as a cultivator, each beam having a perforated segment or curved bar, It, attached, which cross each other and are secured by a pin to the central beam, (1. By loosening the jam-nuts b I) d (I and the shares G H the latter may always be placed in line with the line of draft, however much the beams A A may be expanded.

L is a lever, the fulcrum pin lof which passes through its front end into the central beam, 0. This lever extends to the back part of themachiue and has a pin, m, projecting at right an; gles from one side of it toward one of the Wheels E, which is perforated at its inner side to receive the pin m,which is forced into one of the perforations by adjusting the lever L. By this means the wheels which operate the seed-distributing device may be stopped, and

the seeding device thus rendered inoperative at any time. 

